Wondering what stock racers think

[B Parker]

Bruce it took you long enough to chime in. LOL We are talking only a tenth It's not going to change the guys that are only going 5 or 6 under. They are still going to qualify in the same spot. There really is nothing cheap about stock anymore. Sad but the truth. I plan on going to Atco next weekend. It will be 600 to 700 hundred dollars for the weekend by the time I'm back home. I keep on hearing about the poor new guys but all I keep seeing are the new comp cars that have been stuck in our class. Hope to see you out soon. Barry

[Andrew Hill]

What about slowly bumping up the AHFS triggers over time instead of lowering indexes? Maybe a hundredth or two per year? Doesn't keep anybody who can just barely run the index from racing, and the AHFS keeps up with the progress of people constantly trying to pick their cars up.

[TOSTO RACING]

Just trigger the AHFS at the 1/8th mile . That should solve everything lol ! Its just a game and always will be with the AHFS so just have fun with what it is and be thankful there is still Stock eliminator ! I just wish NHRA rewarded people for records and so on. NHRA needs to be more involved in it because the class is getting more popular than when I started in 09 one grade point would get you in anywhere then ,but not anymore !

[Bruce Noland]

Originally Posted by TOSTO RACING

Just trigger the AFHS at the 1/8th mile . That should solve everything!

6 quarts of heavy oil, timing turned back 5 degrees and 130 pounds heavy should do the trick.

Barry, sorry I am late to the party. Been busy on the new-to-me car. Losing a tenth means a lot to everyone of the slower cars on the sheet. Most of the .600 and under racers work hard on their cars and losing a tenth can be demoralizing. Just add the weight and heavy oil and strut your stuff only when it's needed or at an Open race. Racing for Class will also give you a shot to air it out with a new 1.10 under rule. Give it some thought.

[TOSTO RACING]

Yeh I know the AHFS is really just a joke now a days it seems. I really don't know how to solve the issue . Best thing to do is just play the game and have fun !

[B Parker]

Hey Bruce what yah building? Maybe raising the AHFS number would be the better solution. The problem with the popular class's such as A,B,F,G,H stock auto there are a bunch of guys that can even in bad air go 1 plus under. It's to easy to get HP if you catch one in the eliminator. I keep hearing about all these new guys but the only new ones I have seen are spending $100,000 plus on these new comp cars they let run stock. For anyone wanting to join Stock there has been some real nice cars for sale in the last few months. A lot cheaper than you could build a competitive car for. Jimmy Powers car was a great buy for high 20's. His is not the only one though. Barry

[Casey Miles]

Originally Posted by Alan Roehrich

Myron,
I really want to know how many people are truly considering quitting ONLY because they can't run very far under the index.


And out of those, how many are REALLY dedicating serious effort to going faster?


Those are serious questions.


Because often, the reality is people really aren't trying. And they're really just looking for a reason to quit.


Let's just be brutally honest here. If you REALLY want to go fast, you can get help, if you're actually trying. Hell, even the vast majority of the truly fast racers will go out of their way to help a slow guy pick up. But you have to WANT to go faster, you have to be willing to at least work, and bring your stuff to the track, and then all you have to do is ask for help.


Sorry, but when I first started working on Kevin's car, I really didn't have to ask for help. I asked 2-3 questions, and next thing I knew, more than half a dozen really fast racers, and top flight engine builders, were burning up my phone and my email offering help. And I mean bending over backwards, and pretty much taking money out of their own pockets.


Barry Parker was one of them, with tuning advice, and offering to loan me a carburetor. Keith Lynch not only sold me a carburetor core for 1/3 of what it was worth, but he gave me his place in line at Clark Holroyd's, and Clark stepped up, too, never mind tuning advice from both over the years. Barry Polley helped me when we killed the first engine due to a broken rocker stud. When a bad camshaft hurt one of our engines, Darrell Wikle sold me a new cam, at cost, as well as a brand new set of pistons, pins, and rings, then spent 3-4 hours on the phone with me. Arnold Greene helped me, not only with our stuff, but with stuff for others. Steve Calabro and Joe Fasano helped, too. Even Bobby DeArmond helped me. And Hell, Jimmy Bridges has helped me out more times than I can count. The list goes on, it would probably be a shorter list of who hasn't helped.



And then I've done my best to pay it forward, helping pretty much anyone who asks, and if I can't help, I can usually find someone who can, and I've rarely sent anyone anywhere for help that they didn't get it.


We keep hearing about all of these people who "can't go fast", and "wants to quit", but seriously, how many of them are really working on their car and can't make progress and can't get help. Because honestly, if you're a class racer and you want help, but can't get it, you probably ought to ask yourself what you're doing that makes people avoid helping you, because class racers just ain't that way.


Here's the deal. If you're not going fast, get some help, go to the track, and work on your stuff. If money is a problem, then maybe you need to do what Gary Parker said he did in this thread, park your stuff for a while, save your money, learn, and work on it, then go when you're ready. I know how he feels, we've parked our stuff, for a lot longer than we wanted, because we can't devote the time and money to do it right. My friend Barry Polley has done the same thing. Sometimes you have to. And we're not crying about it, nor are we trying to get anyone slowed down. We're saving our money, biding our time, and planning a comeback.





And let me be clear, I'm not advocating lowering the indexes, I'm really a proponent of changes to the AHFS, and changes to both points and payouts to make it pay to be fast.

I'm kind of taken back about not working on a combo and I know it's not a personal attack on any racers. There's plenty of racers like me, I've had my car now for over 40 years because it's my car from when I was a teenager,
I'm not going change the combo and I still work pretty hard on it. When I was starting to qualify at the middle of the sheets, nhra took 3 tenths away and because I have an engine family related to earlier models which can run smaller lighter cranks I got hp. I have a combo that has had hp on it since Jr. Stock. You can only throw so much money at it and come to the realization that it is what it is.

Casey Miles
248H stock

[GUMP]

Originally Posted by Casey Miles

I'm kind of taken back about not working on a combo and I know it's not a personal attack on any racers. There's plenty of racers like me, I've had my car now for over 40 years because it's my car from when I was a teenager,
I'm not going change the combo and I still work pretty hard on it. When I was starting to qualify at the middle of the sheets, nhra took 3 tenths away and because I have an engine family related to earlier models which can run smaller lighter cranks I got hp. I have a combo that has had hp on it since Jr. Stock. You can only throw so much money at it and come to the realization that it is what it is.

Casey Miles
248H stock

There are several fast 302 cars out there.......

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by GUMP

There are several fast 302 cars out there.......

But I'd be willing to bet that Casey's is "Stock".

[Casey Miles]

I know that there are several 302 cars that fly, but there is difference of just how much money I'm willing to spend on mine. I can tell anyone that there is no lack of effort on my part working towards bettering the performance of the car. There is also the factor of trying to preserve the originality of the Z/28 as a Stocker.

It makes me wonder that all the advantages that a solid lifter engine had which got lost with the valve spring and hydraulic lifters rules. A hydraulic based engine didn't get an increase in HP and the solid lifter based engines didn't get a reduction in HP. The factory didn't make the true performance cars hydraulic lifter, they came as solid lifters with mandatory disk brakes.

So as hard as I work on my combo, power is given away by NHRA to the lower powered engine families. Give them the HP they should be rated like a solid lifter engine.

Casey Miles